A Place Among The Freaks
by ljsmithfan188
Summary: Hydra, a demigod, hates the idea of having to spend her summer at Camp Half-Blood. She hates how her mom speaks of it like it's a heaven on Earth, how her stepdad knows nothing about her being a demigod. Will she learn to love camp-and a few people in it?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: All right, guys, I'm just going to test this out, and see how it goes. I know these types of stories are usually frowned upon, but I wanted to see where it would take me. And a bid shout-out to my beta reader: tinianiatt! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

**Hydra's POV**

This was it. Today was the day that I was finally going to go where I belonged. I took a deep breath. _Yeah, with the rest of the freaks_, a voice whispered inside me. I ignored it and began packing my things. Okay, almost done… _There. _I had stuffed my suitcase and tugged the zipper around it until it looked about ready to explode. Inside were:

- 5 tank tops (red, black, gray, dark blue, lime green)

- 7 pairs of denim shorts

- 3 fitted T-shirts (red, black, gray)

- 5 pairs of jeans (2 'Juicy', 1 'Guess', and 2 'Dahlia's')

- 2 pairs of leggings (gray, black)

- hair brush

- toothbrush

- face wash

- soap, shampoo, and conditioner

- bug spray and sunscreen

- 3 pairs of black sunglasses

I lugged the suitcase down the steps and into the foyer. "I'm ready, Mom," I called into the kitchen. As usual, I could hear the busy noises of pots and pans being put back into their cabinets.

"Coming!"

My mom was the typical housewife. Busy, intelligent, always cooking, and always cleaning. Oh, and don't forget: always nagging me. I rolled my eyes. Soon we were out the door and making our way to my mom's flashy Rolls Royce. Did I mention? We're rich.

I opened the car door, sat down, and slammed it shut.

"Don't slam the doors, Hon," Mom said as she made her way around the car to the driver's seat. _Yeah, yeah, yeah_. "I just _know _you're going to love camp."

Hope stirred inside me. "Did you tell Jon yet?"

Jon was my stepdad, and he was also completely clueless when it came to the whole demigod thing. Well, maybe now he knew. Jon is great, as far as stepdads go. He helps me with my homework, taught me how to fish (which I'm very good at, by the way), and is always there when I need him.

"No, not yet. He thinks you're going to a regular sleep away camp."

"When are you going to tell him? It's been two months!"

Despite my angry demeanor, my mom was the epitome of calm. In a steady voice, she said, "When the time is right."

_Ugh. _I liked Jon, and I hated having to keep things from him. _When the time is right. _That's what she had been telling me for the past month and a half. Whatever. I was going to go to this camp, and hate every minute of it, no matter what my mom said. She thinks she knows me, but she doesn't. No one does. That's why I can only depend on myself.

"Anyway, about the camp," she began again. "You're going to just love it. You'll make tons of friends, and learn to fight, and learn campfire songs!"

While she went on and on about all the "fun stuff" I was going to do, I was thinking of how I was going to deal with being at this camp for the summer. It's during these talks that I tend to zone out.

I stared out the window, and watched as trees and cars passed by, dissolving into nothing the farther away we got.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, but I have been really busy trying to finish it, and I thought this was a good place to end the chapter. I promise the next chapter will be at least 500 words longer! Keep reviewing!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Don't worry; this chapter is a little longer. Oh, and let me just mention that Hydra is fourteen. Keep reviewing!**

**Chapter 2**

**Hydra's POV**

Twenty minutes later, my mom was still going on and on about camp. We lived on Long Island, so I knew it shouldn't be much farther away. I decided to play the license plate game in my head. _Minnesota. _There goes a gas station. And a shopping center. Next up is a bank. _Florida. _

That was when the car slowed to a stop. Above out heads was a big wooden sign that had engraved letters: Half-Blood Hill. I got out, and my mom helped with my suitcase. These last couple of weeks have been hell. Monsters were constantly attacking me. I guess they decided to finally cut me some slack, because the trip to camp was monster-free, just the way I liked it. I started walking toward this huge white house, when a half-horse thing came out of it. The thing smiled at me, and said, "Welcome, Hydra! We've been expecting you!"

I whipped out my sword. "How do you know my name?" _Just as I'm beginning to think I'm safe, I run into another monster._

But the thing just laughed. "I am not a monster. You have nothing to fear here," it said, as if he (at least I thought it was a he) could read my mind.

I didn't trust him. "Prove it." I jutted my sword at him, aiming at the hollow of his throat. I was a good five yards away, but still.

Just then a kid with blond-gold hair walked by us, "Hey, Chiron," he said, as if this happened every day.

The thing…Chiron? Turned to him and said, "Eron, can you please tell Hydra here that I am not a monster?"

Eron laughed. "Trust me, Chiron is cool. It's Mr. D. you got to watch out for. Later." And with that, he walked off toward a dome-shaped building.

Chiron was grinning as Eron left. He said, "Don't worry; Mr. D. isn't all that bad. He's just gone through some...difficulties."

I decided not to press the matter further as to what Mr. D's difficulties were and instead said, "So what are you? And how does that boy know you? And where am I going to go when I'm done talking to you? What am I going to do when I get there? How-"

Chiron held his hand up, stopping me in mid-question. "I am a centaur, and Eron knows me because I am the camp's activities director. After I have found someone to give you a tour, you will go to the Hermes cabin, and unpack your things."

"Why can't I go to my father's cabin?"

"Because you are unclaimed, and Hermes is the God of Travelers." _Makes sense. _

"When will my dad claim me?"

Chiron gave me a sad smile. "It varies. For some it's five minutes, others five years and a few campers are never claimed."

"Oh."

"Yes, now give me a minute while I try to find someone suitable to be your tour guide," Chiron said with a serious expression on his face. _Well, I guess some of the campers aren't exactly his__ favorites__. _"Eron," Chiron called the blond-gold haired boy I had seen earlier. "Would you be so kind as to show Hydra around?"

Eron smirked. "Whatever you say, O Great One." He made a gesture for me to precede him, and I stepped forward hesitantly.

"It's okay, Hydra," Chiron chided, "Eron here will make you feel at home."

I decided this Eron guy was all right, and followed him through the buildings as he showed me the different cabins, the campfire, the Big House, and finally, he stopped in front of what was supposedly the Hermes cabin. After our "little walk", I learned that Eron was actually kind of cute, with his blond-gold hair that fell over his forehead, and his electric blue eyes. In a way, he was the All-American boy, and I was the new girl.

So you could see how intimidated I felt when Eron said, "Here you are," and walked away, in a confident stride that reflected complete and total arrogance.

_I guess this is it._ I took a deep breath, and opened the screen door leading to an overcrowded room. Everyone dropped what they were doing to stare at me. _What am I, a freak show? _

In a shaky voice, I said, "Which bed is mine?" A tall boy with brown hair pointed to a small bed in the corner, completely unmade. It was light wood, with a plain mattress. As I began unpacking my things, the silence turned to whispers, and then back to its original chaos. _Chiron didn't say anything about what I do when I'm done unpacking. _I decided to track him down and ask him. I am happy to say that no eyes followed me out the door. I could see Chiron, about 1/4 mile away, talking to a naiad. I began tromping toward him.

He saw me coming and said, "Has there been a problem?" His eyes were full of concern.

"No, no problem," I replied. "I was just wondering what I do, now that I've unpacked my things."

"Anything, as long as it won't get you into trouble."

_Anything? _"Like what?"

"Like, sword fighting, talking, sleeping, eating, swimming-just not at night-, practicing, challenging-"

"Wait a second. What do you mean 'practicing'?"

Chiron smiled. "Your powers."

_Oh, right. Yeah. Powers. Completely normal stuff. "_All righty then. I'll go...practice." And with that, I walked off, completely unsure what to 'practice'.

**All right, so since I'll need to have names for some of the siblings, put your ideas in a review! First two people to review get their characters put in this story! The format has to be:**

Name:

Mystical Parent:

Appearance:

Clothing:

Personality:

Relation to one of my characters (Ex. friend, sibling, etc.):

**Keep reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! And, like I promised, the two characters will be announced here. (Great characters, guys!) And bluepianos, thank you so much for the constructive criticism. It stung a little at first, but then I realized how many tips you gave me and it made writing the story a lot more fun. So thanks. (Sorry but I'm not changing her name.)**

**Chapter 3**

**Eron POV**

**_(Takes place before Hydra goes to 'practice'.)_**

As I was making my way towards archery, I saw the new girl, Hydra, having a discussion with Chiron over by where the naiads usually were. I checked her out. _Sorry, it's what I do. _She was alright, for being my age. She had wavy and dark hair that reached the middle of her back, with bright teal highlights. She was about 5'6 or 5'7. Anyway, she was tall for her age. At least she was shorter than me, as I'm 5'9. Her back was to me, so that's about all I can explain to you without you smacking me. What else can I say? Her legs were long, and her waist was small. I noticed she moved her hands around a little when she spoke. _Well, that could get annoying. _Over by archery, my siblings were having a dissension that was about to get ugly.

I ran over to the archery station, all thoughts of Hydra long forgotten.

**Hydra POV**

_Practice, practice, practice. _The words rang like bells in my head, and I couldn't concentrate. _What to practice, though? Ugh. Will I ever get used to this? _I've learned a little bit about Greek mythology from school, so I decided that would help. Okay. There's Hestia. Oh, wait, no. Can't be her. There's Artemis. Wait, nope. There's Hera. No. _Oh my god! Why can't there be gods and goddesses who like to have kids? Wait a second(again), why am I looking at the women? Whoops. _Okay, there's Apollo, God of the Sun And Music. _Alright, let's try that._

Let's see if I can play an instrument. I saw an Apollo kid with a tuba, rockin' it up. _Yeah, right. _"Hey can I borrow that for a second?" I asked the kid, sweet as nectar.

"Sure," the boy replied, obviously suspicious of my spontaneous attitude. He handed the tuba over, and I blew into it. _Okay, OW! _Apparently I had blown too hard, because I popped my ears. Okay, not Apollo. But by then I was too tired and my ear was throbbing too much for me to keep worrying about who my mythological parent was. I tromped back to the Hermes cabin, slamming the screen door on my way in.

My snooty siblings didn't pay any attention to me. _What else is new? _They hadn't even given me their names. Not that I could blame them, what with their classes and responsibilities. Apparently, my classes don't start until tomorrow. I flopped down on my bed, staring at the small yellow spider on the ceiling. _What was up with that Eron kid? He's so full of himself, like Brett. Ah, Brett. _Brett had been my school's football quarterback; stereotypical jock all the way.

I figured staring at the ceiling and moping wasn't going to do me any good, so I decided to change my clothes and head out.

The ride to camp had left me feeling sticky and disgusting, so I pulled on a red tank top and light wash denim short-shorts. There was a snow white bikini underneath all my clothes. I opened the door, feeling the breeze on my face, and then hearing a muffled "oomph" as the door crashed into someone.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I squeaked, feeling the heat of embarrassment rush to my face.

"It's okay, no worries," replied a silky voice. In front of me stood a girl about my age and on the shorter side, barely hitting the 5'4 mark. Her big blue eyes complimented her shoulder-length, flowing dark blond hair. She looked like she caught a few rays on her way over here, with tanned and very healthy-looking skin. She looked like a model in her strapless turquoise dress, although I must admit I was surprised to find that she wasn't wearing shoes. She held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mina Graddy. But you can call me Minie. My mom is Latis, Goddess of Water." A warm smile was plastered on her face.

I shook her hand. "Hi, I'm Hydra."

"Do you know anyone here?" Minie asked, sounding concerned.

"Not really," I admitted, "Just Chiron and you. Even my roommates didn't tell me their names." I looked down at my shoes.

"Oh, don't worry. There's plenty of great people here at camp. I take it you're a daughter of Hermes?"

It was then that I realized we were still on the porch, right next to the screen door that I had almost suffocated Minie with. Well, if this girl was going to forgive me that fast, then I guess she's okay. Even if she is really perky. "No. I don't know. Maybe." My brow was furrowed in concentration.

But Minie just laughed. "Not very decisive now, are you? Now come on, let me show you the hot-spots of camp." She looped her arm through mine and off we went. We passed a girl, also about our age, with the most beautiful, striking hair I'd ever seen. It was snow white, with light blue highlights. "Hey, Castle," Minie said casually as we strolled past the girl. Minie stopped directly in front of her. "This is Hydra, she's new."

"Hi," the girl with the beautiful hair said coldly. _What's her problem? _Now that I was up close, I could see that she was really pale, and had small, stormy blue eyes. She was wearing a snowflake necklace around her neck, denim short-shorts like me, only hers were dark wash, a sky blue tank top, and flip flops. She was built like a long distance runner, and was about 5'6. "I'm Castle. Castle Leeway, daughter of Khione, Goddess of Snow and Ice. I'd prefer it if you called me Cast." That was it. No shaking hands, no hugging. Nothing. Cast looked impatient. "Your name?"

"What? Oh. Right. Like Minie said, I'm Hydra, and I haven't been claimed yet."

"Oh," Cast said, and she walked away. She walked in such a graceful manner, looking as if her feet never left the ground. As if she were skating on ice.

"What's her problem?" I whispered to Minie.

"Oh, don't worry, Cast is just like that when she first meets you. She warms up to people real fast, though. Shoot."

"What?"

"I have to go. Sword fighting practice. As a matter of fact, you should go get your schedule from Chiron. That way you won't be late to any of your classes tomorrow."

"Thanks, I'll do that," I started to say, but Minie had already started running towards what I guessed was sword fighting class. I sighed and looked around. _Well, I guess I have time to explore._

Fifteen minutes later, I had seen the Big House, the arena, the beach, the forest(which I didn't dare go in, by the way. It gives me the creeps), the cross bowing station, the sword fighting station, and a place where kids were making battle armor. A thick layer of sweat was forming on my brow.

The beach was only a few yards away, and I _did _have my bathing suit on. I took off my tank top and shorts and jumped in. The water was freezing, and I decided to get over the temperature and go under. There's something peaceful about being underwater, when you can't here the hustle and bustle going on above you. It's just you and all the fish. My head broke the surface, and I returned to the world where you can't trust anyone, and no one is ever 100% safe.

**So, what did you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Flame it? Put it in a review! And to all of those who let me steal their characters, let me know if I portrayed the characters right. Keep reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews! And Xealvi, I will try to put James into this chapter. Sorry, but I had to rearrange his clothes a little bit. The whole Western thing just wasn't working out for me. And sorry again, but there will be a lot of POV switching in this chapter. But to make it up to you guys, I'll try to make the chapter extra-long.**

**Chapter 4**

**Hydra POV**

I pulled back on my clothes, and heard someone behind me. I spun around, catching the person off guard. It was a boy, slightly taller than me (thank the Gods, barely anyone was ever taller than me), with spiky black hair. He was wearing black skinny jeans, a black T-shirt, and black combat boots. He was unnaturally pale, with slight freckles across his nose.

"What are you doing here?" the boy demanded. _Isn't that what I should be asking you? _Along with everyone else he looked to be about my age. The boy glared at me with cold, bottomless black eyes.

Something about his unfriendly expression made me lash out in defense. "What am I doing here? What am _I_ doing here? I think that's what I should be asking you, Mr. Scare-Me-Half-To-Death! And for your information, I was trying to get away from you freaks for just _one _goddamn moment! But you can't even give me that, can you? No, I didn't think so!" And with that, I stormed off, leaving the boy with his hands in his pockets, stunned.

I kept walking. Then my walking turned into a jog. And soon, I was sprinting as if my life depended on it. _Freaks, freaks, freaks. I hate all of you freaks! _I wished I could scream, but then someone would find me. I leaned against a tree, and finally realized where I was. I was in the forest. Alone. I could hear the distant giggling of tree nymphs nearby, but I didn't think they could give me directions. And then I remembered I was supposed to be chasing down Chiron for my schedule.

**Castle POV**

I was walking in the forest , trying to make it snow again, when I heard the crunch of leaves far up ahead of me. I decided to ignore it and mind my own business. But the sound kept annoying me. _Crunch, crunch, crunch. _Every time I heard it, I cringed. Finally, curiosity got the better of me, and I started to walk towards the source of the noise. It was the girl from before, what was her name? Oh, yes. Hydra. The name sent a shiver down my spine as I remembered my last encounter with a Hydra. "You lost or something?" I asked as I saw the girl walking around in circles.

She looked up, startled. And then her eyes darkened. "Yes. Yes I am. I'm so lost, and now I don't know where to go. You're probably going to be just like the Hermes kids, staring at me like I'm a freak show. So if you'd be so kind as to leave, I'd be very grateful." Hydra slumped against a tree. _Hmmm... She's got spunk,_I thought, deciding that I might like this girl after all.

"If that's what you want. And I'm sorry about earlier. I just... I don't know. It's just who I am." I began to walk away.

"Wait." She said it quietly, betraying a hint of vulnerability that made me turn around. "Which way back to camp?"

I motioned for her to follow me, and she reluctantly pushed off her tree and did as I told. I walked her back to camp, and when I saw her dragging her feet on the ground as she walked, I decided to take the extra step and walk her to her cabin, too. When we reached the doorway, I put my hand on her arm. Her head turned around. "What's wrong?" I asked her, trying to put as much sweetness into my voice as I could.

"I just don't want to be here." And then she walked into the Hermes cabin, letting the door close by itself behind her.

**Hydra POV**

I flopped down on my bed, surprised to find that the room was empty. S_tupid Hermes kids. They're probably off having fun, going to their classes and learning stuff. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here, with absolutely nothing to do._ Then I remembered: my necklace. I hopped off the bed and reached for my suitcase, as I still hadn't unpacked my things. My suitcase had a lock on it, and with Hermes being the God of Thieves and all, I thought it was the best place for my stuff. I opened it, and inside was my jade choker necklace. It was a black leather collar with a jade charm in the shape of a teardrop hanging from it.

The necklace alaways made me feel better. I put it on, and walked outside, looking for Chiron with my schedule. I didn't see him anywhere, and was starting to get worried. I suddenly felt like a little kid in a grocery store on those times when I managed to lose track of my mother. I kept walking, hoping to find him, like I always had with my mom. I reached one side of camp and decided to now go the other way. I turned around and crashed right into someone.

"Sorry," I mumbled. _What's with all this running into people today? _It was the boy from before. _Oh, crap._

Apparently, the boy had been studying his shoes this whole time, and now he looked up. "Watch where you're going," he said as he shoved past me.

"What? I don't get a name?" I said, exasperated. Once again, this boy was getting on my nerves.

"It's James," was all he replied, without even turning around.

I stared after him, watching as he disappeared around a corner. I shrugged it off, and continued my search for Chiron. Fifteen minutes later, I spotted him talking to a guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

"This brat doesn't look familiar. She new?" The dude with the Hawaiian shirt said as I approached them.

Chiron nodded and said, "Hydra, this is Mr. D. Now what can I help you with?"

But I was already confused about the first statement he had made. _Mr. D? Isn't that the guy Eron warned me about? And what does the 'D' stand for, anyway? _Then an answer occurred to me.

"Hey, aren't you the wine dude?"

The guy looked at me, turning an ugly shade of purple, and then said, "Yes. Yes I am. Aren't you the ugly, scaley skinned monster who wants to eat all of us alive?"

I could feel a blush creeping up my face. I opened my mouth to apologize, and then realized that the man was already out of sight. "Don't worry about Mr. D," Chiron said calmly. "Now what was it you had to tell me?"

"Oh. I wanted to know where my schedule was."

Chiron pulled out a slip of paper from a pocket on his wheelchair. When I gave him a quizzical look, he explained, "I keep the schedules with me at all times, that way I can never lose them." He made a gesture for me to go off and read the schedule by myself.

After about 30 minutes of walking around, I found a tree that would most likely hold my weight. It was about 40 feet tall, with bright, leafy branches. I started scaling the tree, making my way up. Unfortunately, I scraped my shin along the way. I began to read the schedule silently to myself.

_8:00-9:00AM Breakfast and Cabin Inspection_

_9:00-10:00AM Sword & Shield w/ Clarisse- full combat armor required_

_10:00-11:00AM Archery w/ Chiron_

_11:00-12:00PM Winged Horseback Riding w/ Demeter cabin- first half hour we will be on the trail, second half hour we will be doing aerial combat_

_12:00-1:00PM Lunch_

_1:00-2:00PM Monster Assault Techniques w/ Hermes cabin_

_2:00-4:00PM FREE TIME_

_4:00-5:00PM Swim and Beach Time w/ the Nereids- bring sunscreen, discus, javelin, etc._

_5:00-6:00PM Free Time, Volleyball, or Cabin Clean-Up_

_6:00-7:00PM Dinner and Announcements_

_7:00-9:00PM Capture The Flag(only on Fridays) or Free Time_

_9:00-10:00PM Sing-A-Long and Bonfire w/ Apollo cabin_

_10:00PM Prepare For Bed- lights out at 11:00PM_

I mentally started playing out tomorrow in my head. And stopped short. _I have to get up that early? This isn't going to work._ I was about to storm up to Chiron and give him a tirade so long he would wonder when it had began, when I saw Minie pass by the tree.

"Minie!" I called, and she whipped out her bow and arrow, searching for whoever had spoken.

"Up here!" I dodged one of her arrows. "No, don't hit me! It's Hydra!"

"Hydra?" Minie called, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I answered, as I climbed off the tree. It took me a good five minutes, and Minie was motioning for me to hurry up. "I'm trying," I snapped. I finally got off the last branch, and made my way over to where Minie was standing. "Why were you making me go so fast?"

"Dinner's about to start! Come on!" She pulled me toward the dining pavilion I had seen earlier when I was out exploring. Little did I know, the dining pavilion was a whole different world.

**Xealvi, let me know if I portrayed James right. And I'm sorry that I didn't deck him out with the cowboy boots and hat, but I couldn't picture him like that in my head. Reviews are love. Keep reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I just want to say thanks again to all of you guys who let me steal your characters. It was really fun, using a description of a character to make it fit into the story. And I know that people are reading this story and not reviewing. I have my ways! Don't think you can get away unnoticed. Even if you hate it, review. It's called the 'Traffic' tab, people! It shows me who's reading but not reviewing. Come on, review!**

**Chapter 5**

**James POV**

_What is _up _with that girl? I keep seeing her everywhere! _I had just bumped into her a few minutes ago, and now I wasn't hungry anymore, seeing that she was heading toward the dining pavilion. She had looked, well...hot. She had amazing dark hair with bright teal highlights. She was really skinny, and on the pale and pastier side. She had very delicate features, including piercing green, almond-shaped eyes. _Whatever. _I'm here to train, not to have some summer romance. Seriously. _Distractions get you killed, _whispered a voice in my head. _Yeah, yeah, I know. And who asked you? Shut up._

I didn't get a response for that last remark. Oh, well.

**Hydra POV**

When I entered the dining pavilion, it was a mask of pure chaos. There were plates scattering, cups rattling, and demigods chattering. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"It's okay," Minie chided gently. She pushed me forward a little bit. "You can only eat with the Hermes cabin for now, since you're unclaimed, but I'll be right next to your table. They just built my mom, Latis, a cabin. The table comes with it. I'm so happy!" _Yeah, what else is new?_

"Wait a second. I can't sit next to you?" _This is going to be a disaster._

Minie looked down at her feet. "Well, kids with different parents aren't supposed to sit together. It's against the rules. But like I said before, my table's right next to yours."

I walked towards where the Hermes kids were eating, and sat down, forcing Minie to eat my dust. They regarded me with a nod and went back to their chatting. I tried to keep up with what they were talking about, but only a few words stuck out in my brain. But it was only words like: _sword, flag, _and _defense. _Needless to say, I couldn't keep up. I got my food, filled up my cup like one of the kids had showed me to do, and was finished eating in a bout 5 minutes. An all-time record for me, considering I was an unusually slow eater.

I put the rest of my food into the fire, like I had seen some other kid doing, and thought,_ Dad, whoever you are, thanks. A lot. Thanks for putting me in this stupid place with these freaky people. On second thought, I hate you. _And with that being said, I started to stalk away from the fire, and towards my cabin. But, of course, not before I heard a clap of thunder and saw a streak of lightning.

But then I saw Chiron stand up, and I immediately sat back down at my table.

He said, "I would like to welcome our new demigod, Hydra Thana." Everyone clapped politely. And then it was over.

I got up again and walked to the cabin, slamming the door on my way in. According to my schedule, it was now 'Free Time'. Who did they think I was, some five-year-old? Seeing as though there was only the bonfire left, I decided to go to bed early. I put on my pajama shorts and a tank top and climbed into my bunk bed. A bottom one, thankfully. I can't stand bugs who like to hang out on the ceiling, right above the top bunk. Soon I had drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to one of the campers nudging my shoulder.

"Come on, wake up!" They yelled impatiently. When I mumbled something incoherent, they ripped the sheets off of me. By then, I had no choice but to wake up. "Cabin inspection!" they yelled again. I opened one sleepy eye to see that it was a boy, slightly younger than me, maybe by a year or two.

I grunted and got up, helping everyone to clean the cabin. I looked at the clock. It read 8:10. Shoot. Apparently, the cabin inspector would be here in approximately five minutes. I saw that some of the campers were stuffing their stuff underneath their beds. I smacked my head.

"No, guys! Actually clean it up! Underneath the bed is the first place they'll look," I said as I was taking the stuff out from underneath their beds, and placing it in the right spot. The campers looked at me quizzically for about ten seconds, then started following my example. With all of us cleaning, we were done in about three minutes.

I looked around. Major improvement. A few minutes later, the inspector came in, and gave us a nine out of ten. "No decorations" was all she said. _Whatever. _I went into the shower room with my stuff, and came out feeling fresh and clean. Soon I was dressed in a black tank top with black skinny jeans. _I guess I can be emo for a day._ I slipped on some black converses, and headed towards the dining pavilion for breakfast. But not before putting my jade choker necklace back on.

I must admit, I was way nervous about my first day of classes. I ate breakfast in a rush, and got to Sword & Shield ten minutes early. Clarisse, seeing that I was new, came over and helped me into battle armor. She gave me a sword and shield, hence the term 'Sword & Shield'.

When a couple campers looked at her, obviously confused as to why she was helping me, she shot them a glare, and they quickly got back to what they were doing. This sword felt way too heavy in my hands, and I only won about 7 out of 10 swordfights. I knew I would win a lot more if I had the right sword, but everyone was amazed anyway.

Next was Archery. I'm going to spare you the gory details, and just tell you that I stunk. Bad.

Anyway, the 'Winged Horseback Riding', as they called it, was actually pretty fun. The Pegasuses were really good with me, and I had never felt more at ease. I was high up in the sky, looking down at the camp. It was actually kind of beautiful, what with all the greenery and strawberry fields. Lunch was fine, as it usually was. Monster Assault Techniques was actually pretty interesting. Things like 'Where To Hit A Laistygonian Giant' sort of amazed me.

During my 'Free Time', I walked around camp, feeling the eyes of other campers less and less with every passing minute. I think they were getting used to me. Besides, there were new campers again today; I had seen them during breakfast. I found the tree I had been sitting in the other day when I had first read my schedule, and climbed it. It was pretty peaceful, just looking down at the camp. I mean, sure, it wasn't a flying Pegasus, but it would do. And then I saw a dark figure pass by the tree. But-Oh no!-he stopped, and leaned against the trunk of the tree that I was sitting in. He looked up for just a second, and I caught a glimpse of his face. _James!_

**Alright ,so what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Come on, guys! I ask this all the time! Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks guys for all of the wonderful reviews! I was checking my story for reviews, only expecting one, maybe two if I was lucky. But then I saw that Chapter 5 got 6 reviews and I was like 'Whoa!' I know 6 reviews doesn't seem like a lot, but it's the most I've gotten at once for this story. So to all of you who have reviewed, thanks so much! You really brightened my day! And I know I said I'd only use the characters of the first two people to review, but I guess I'll just use anything I can get! So, imaginethatt, I'll try to fit your character in this chapter. If I can't, then I guarantee you that she will be in the next one. And she might not be Hydra's best friend, because I already have too many other characters as her friends. So we'll see. Keep reviewing!**

**Chapter 6**

**Hydra POV**

_Oh God, oh God, oh God, _I thought. James was right below me. Not Minie! Not Castle! Not even Eron! But James! _Crap. _I stopped breathing. I stopped moving. And then I realized that James wouldn't hurt me. All I was doing was existing. _Yeah, but that's what you were doing last time when he got mad at you. And then you told him off. _Yeah, yeah._ Stop talking to yourself, Hydra. Get a grip. No stop! No, stop! No- Ugh!_

I slowly started climbing down the tree. Apparently James hadn't heard me yet. I decided not to take a risk, and went down the opposite side of the trunk, so that James wouldn't see me. The trunk was pretty wide, and I was skinny, so chances were that the trunk would conceal me. I inched farther and farther down the tree, trying to be as quiet as possible. But then I got my footing wrong, and a branch snapped. James looked up, to find a shoe dangling from the fallen branch. _My shoe. _He shrugged and walked away. I let my breath out. _And fell right out of the tree. _

You would think that James was far enough away, that he was too far gone to hear a foot slip and then a loud 'thud'. An average boy would keep walking. But James wasn't a average boy. No, James was a demi-god. A freak. And so he turned around. I could guess what was going through his head right now. 'What a freak. She was following me. Stupid girl. She can't even stay in a tree right. No wonder her dad hasn't claimed her yet.' While I can guess what he was thinking, if a picture was to be taken of that moment, the people looking at it wouldn't know or even try to guess what he was thinking. Because James' eyes were perfectly guarded; expressionless.

His pale face was smooth with calm, and his jet black hair shone. It was still pretty sunny out, and James looked sort of... out of place. His used-to-be-expressionless eyes turned toward me, and then he was glaring. He looked me up and down. I was about 10 feet away from him, so it was still pretty demeaning. I looked away. He made a scoffing noise and walked away. "Wow, jerk much?" I called to him. He kept walking. If he heard me, he didn't let on.

I shook my head and walked back to my cabin. It read 3:30. I still had a half hour to go before I had to go to 'Swim and Beach Time w/ The Nereids', which couldn't be that bad. I put on a black bikini and switched my converses with black flip-flops, and walked out the door. I was milking the emo thing. _Man, what did these people do here? _I walked around camp, seeing happy couples everywhere I went. _Whatever. I'm going to find a way to get kicked out of here, and then I won't have to worry about this stuff anymore._

I headed over to the beach, and then I realized that I didn't know what part of the beach they would be in. I kept walking for what seemed like hours. I couldn't check my phone to see what time it was, because my mom had confiscated it. 'It sends a signal to monsters, letting them know where you are', she had told me. Ugh. No phone, no life. And then I was really starting to hope I wouldn't be late. Something about people staring at me, like when I walk in late to something, is basically my worst nightmare. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see a girl a little older than me, maybe by about a year or two.

She had long, straight, and layered brown hair. Her eyes were bright, and the color of blue cotton candy, but with a hint of gray in them. She was tall for her age, like me, and skinny, also like me. Her clothes consisted of jean short cutoffs, the ones where it's frayed at the bottom, a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt(which I've been seeing a lot of I might add), converses, and a weird-looking thing around her wrist that I assumed to be a friendship bracelet. It was a skinny little bracelet, with red, gold, and black threads. I never would have noticed it if it hadn't been for the girl constantly fidgeting with it.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Claire. Claire Parker, daughter of Athena. I, um, saw you walking. Are you going to swim class?" Claire seemed very timid and self-conscious as she said this.

"Yeah. I'm Hydra, by the way. Unclaimed."

Claire looked at me knowingly. "Well, I was just on my way to go there. Mind if I walk with you?" _Don't mind if I do. Wow, she has no idea that I'm lost. Hopefully I'm not late, either._

"No, not at all." And with that, we began walking in unison. In about 5 minutes, we were there, and we weren't even the last ones to show up. _Jackpot! _As it turned out, the part of the beach we were supposed to be in was right at the entrance of the beach. Stupid me.

If I do say so myself, I kicked butt at swimming. I was so fast you would think I was a fish. It was pretty amazing, actually, considering that we didn't even have a pool back at home. But enough about that. Because then, something even bigger happened.

At first, I didn't even notice anything. But then everyone was staring at me. A guy with dark hair and sea-green eyes, maybe a year older than me, was even smiling. No, scratch that. They weren't staring at me, they were staring at the air above my head. I looked up, expecting a huge bee, or something along those lines. And maybe what was really there was along those lines, and it was coming back to sting me. Because, right there for all eyes to see, was a huge green-blue trident. Entranced, I watched as it stayed above my head for one second... two... and then it began to disappear. Before it got the chance to leave me, much like my father had, I looked away from it, and studied my shoes. Everyone went back to what they were doing.

The guy with the sea green eyes from before came up to me. "Hey there," he said awkwardly_._ "I'm Percy, son of Poseidon."

"Nice to meet you," I said awkwardly, to match his awkwardness. And then I added, "What does it mean?" But it came out in a whisper.

As I was starting to think he hadn't heard me, he replied, "It means you're my sister." _Huh. _I couldn't feel anything but numbness. My arms, my legs, even my nose were numb. My dad. The cruel, evil, heartless man that had left my mom while she was pregnant. He was a god. It was true. It hadn't felt real before, even when I had first come to camp. _Poseidon. _And then thoughts were flooding back to me. Chatter like 'Oh my god my dad's a Greek god this is so cool wait a second no it's not he left you he made your mom pregnant and then left her oh but who cares he was probably just protecting her from all the godly stuff you should be thanking him wait another second no you shouldn't you hate him remember' flooded my brain. "You know," Percy started again, "Your dad never should have had you. Children of the Big Three were banned and were not supposed to exist up until about last week."

He was looking into the distance, reliving a past. All I could manage right now was a nod.

Seeing my expression, he said, "Are you okay? Do you need some water?" Oh, wow. Look at me, looking like a baby and making a fool of myself. Same as always. Maybe nothing had changed. _Yeah, right._

**A/N: Okay guys, so let me know what you think. Sorry it took me so long, but I got banned from my computer for a while. I hope you can forgive me. Keep reviewing! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: THanks so much guys for the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it! OKay, so here's the next chapter. Let me know what you guys think!**

**Hydra POV**

"No, I don't need any water. I just need a second to take it in," I replied to Percy's question, my voice shaky. He nodded and backed away. Then he went back to whatever it is these demigods do. _Second's up. Back to reality. _I walked back to my cabin to move my things over to the Poseidon cabin, and to check my schedule to see what I had next. Minie was already there, lugging my suitcase out the door.

"Hey, what are you doing with that?" I called to her from my spot, about 20 feet away from her.

"I'm helping you move out."

"Oh. Uh... thanks."

"No problem," she said, out of breath. "I could use a little help though, you know." I laughed and ran over to her, helping her with the suitcase. "I mean, seriously. What do you have in here, bricks?" Then I laughed some more. I think this is the most I've laughed in a long time.

Soon we had reached the Poseidon cabin. Well, at least we'd gotten our workout. "Thanks again," I said.

"Don't worry about it. I wanted to see you again anyway." Then it had occured to me that she wasn't in my swim class.

"Wait. How did you now I got claimed?" I asked her, curious.

"Let's just say news travels fast around here." I wanted to ask more, seeing that she had a know-it-all smirk on her face, but at the last moment I let it go.

"What's up with that kid James?" I asked, trying to start a conversation. "I keep bumping into him."

"You don't want to mess with him. He's bad news. Son of Nyx, Goddess of Night. All the Nyx kids are, like, goth or something."

"Oh." That was all I said. _That explains a lot, but not all of it. _"Wait a second. What do I have on my schedule? God, I'm going to be so late!"

"Don't worry," Minie said, trying to calm me down, "It's free period, cabin clean-up, or volleyball. But no one's playing volleyball right now and Percy never cleans his cabin, so you can either clean, or hang out. We have dinner after this anyway, so it really doesn't matter if you were late or not. You could always skip it."

"Hmm... It's tempting to hang out, but shouldn't we keep the cabin clean?"

"Eh, only if you want the good chores." But by then I was already inside the Poseidon cabin, getting a duster from the closet. _Man, is this place messy or what?_ Minie was left standing outside with my heavy suitcase. She came into the cabin and let my suitcase fall to the ground with a muted _thud. _She let out a relieved sigh.

I finished dusting, and Minie helped me to unpack my things. _Yay! _I thought. _I no longer ahve to keep my clothes under lock and key! _I put everything neatly in drawers, then started t clean up Percy's side. His shoes were everywhere, so I arranged them in the corner. Then I started putting all his dirty socks into the hamper on the door. That was about as close as I would go to clean Percy's side. "I guess I'm done," I said, amazed that it only took 15 minutes. Bored, Minie took me to the Aphrodite cabin so I could meet one of her friends. But before I could even take two steps into the Aphrodite cabin, the girls were swarming on me, drowning me in foundation and new clothes.

"It's the new you," one of the Aphrodite kids said. She had light brown hair with sidebangs, blue-gray eyes, and was wearing an outfit that screamed 'cheerleader'. Minie was standing in the doorway, looking pleased with herself.

"You knew they were going to do this, didn't you?" I snarled.

"Well... uh... you see..." Minie stammered.

"I hate you!" I growled.

Minie just laughed. This _so _wasn't funny. I was being smothered! It should be against the law to smother someone with makeup!

"Just look," the girl from before said. I looked.

It was torture. I thought they were going to make me look all preppy, but they hadn't. This was worse. I looked like a prostitute. I was wearing a really pale concealer/foundation thing, light purple eyeshadow, black eyeliner, mascara, and pinkish-red lipgloss. My bangs covered my eye as usual, but it didn't look sad anymore. It looked... mysterious, almost. I was now wearing a lime green tank top, black zip-up hoodie, and light wash denim short-shorts that were slightly different from mine. The difference was, these were about 5 inches shorter than mine. It was one of those shorts where the pockets show. I mean, ugh. Who in hell dresses like this? Well, now, I guess, me.

To make it worse, they added knee-high leather boots with a four-inch heel. No way was I going out in public like this. Uh-uh. Never. "No," I said, and started to take the clothes off and change into my regular ones.

"You have to. It's part our agreement if you want us as an alliance for Capture The Flag," the Aphrodite kid with light brown hair said. _Who agreed to that? Who would even want the Aphrodite kids on our team?_

"Ugh," I said as I stepped outside, bracing myself for complete humiliation. But nothing happened. Surprisingly, the world didn't come to an end. Sure, I got a few questioning glances as I made my way towards dinner, but no confronted me about it. Half the campers were already at dinner, and that's where it gets bad. All the boys gaped at me. _Stop staring at me like that! _After realizing what they were doing, they quickly looked away, pretending as if nothing had happened.

**Sorry! I know, it's a short chapter, but I'm trying to update fast with short chapters, instead of updating slow with long chapters. It just works for me better. Anyway, leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Keep reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! If anyone wants a picture of what Hydra looks like, just leave a review letting me know and I'll put the link in the next chapter. Keep reviewing!**

**Chapter 8**

**Hydra POV**

I took my seat at the Hermes table, and tried to pretend like I blended in and wasn't wearing a stripper's clothes. When I looked up from my shoes, however, I saw that one person hadn't looked away. James. He was still staring at me. When I caught his eye, he shook his head and looked away like the rest of the guys had. _Whatever. _I continued to eat my dinner in silence, and then placed the remainings in the fire. _Poseidon. I don't know what I think of you anymore. Peace. _And with that, I was off.

It was only Wednesday, so we didn't have Capture The Flag. Only the bonfire was left, and I contemplated skipping it and going to bed early like I had the night before. I decided against it, after realizing that I might actually like the bonfire. It was only 6:30, and I didn't have to be at the bonfire until nine, so I walked around camp, looking at the different buildings, and then I noticed that one cabin was completely full. Hm. Most of the campers were still at dinner. I decided to check it out. I knocked on the door. When a muffled 'come in' could be heard, I stepped inside. Then it dawned on me. This was the Aphrodite cabin. Nice one, Sherlock.

I tried to escape without being noticed, but I failed that mission. The evil girl from before who had helped plan my destruction beckoned me over. I hesitatnly came closer.

"You're only going to get your regular clothes back if you wear this outfit until it's time to go to bed."

"Fine," I huffed.

She put on a cheery smile. "Great. You can come by around ten to get your clothes back. I'm Layla, by the way." _Pleasure doing business with you _seemed to drip from her words. I spun on my heel and walked out. _They probably skip every meal. _I walked over to the beach, where the waves calmed me a little bit. I heard footsteps coming up behind me, and saw a man with those plaid beach shorts, and a white T-shirt. He had dark hair and sea green eyes, like Percy. I bet you know who he is.

"Hello, Hydra," he said to me. "Nice night, huh?"

"Why are you here?" I snapped at him. Yeah, that's me, Ms. Polite.

"Well, I wanted to give you your sword in person." He held out a bronze and silver sword. When I took it, it felt perfect in my hands, unlike the one Clarisse had given me. It seemed to radiate victory, but also some sadness and death. "It's name is Dragontooth," he told me with a smile.

I looked up at him. "Thanks," I said slowly, unsure of whether he was for real or not.

"No problem." He got up, walked away, and seemed to disappear. I looked back at the sword in my hands. _Dragontooth. _The name seemed to fit perfectly. I smiled and placed the sword in one of my stripper boots. And back to reality. Ugh. Stupid stripper boots. I got up and walked back to my cabin. It was now about 8:00, so I had a full hour to go before the sing-along. Another ugh. One thing about me: I can't sing. Like, ever.

But I figured I owed it to Chiron, since I skipped it last night. I sighed and started walking back to my cabin. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised to see that Percy was already in there, with his iPod in his ears.

"Hey," I said as I sat down on my bed and started reading one of the Greek mythology books that the Hephaestus cabin had given me during 'Monster Assault Techniques'.

"Hey," Percy replied, not looking at me, but staring straight at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He seemed kind of down.

"Nothing," was all he replied, but I could tell he was lying.

"Sure," I said. "So... Is it about Grover?"

He glanced at me. "No."

"Aha! So you are upset about something!"

"No, all I said was that I wasn't upset about Gro-" He covered his mouth with his hand while I laughed.

"Is it about Poseidon?"

"No."

"Oh, I know what it is now. It's Annabeth, isn't it?" He said nothing. "I knew it! So, tell me what happened."

"I don't even know. All I did was suggest that she put down her sketchpad and hang out with me for a little bit, and she gets all offended." Well, that explains it.

"That was a really bad idea, Percy. You know how Annabeth is about her architecture."

He sighed. "I know. So what happened to you?" He gestured towards my clothes.

"The Aphrodite cabin."

"Ah," he said knowingly.

We sat there for a long time, him listening to his iPod, and me reading my book, when we started to hear footsteps outside our cabin. Time for the sing-along.

It wasn't that bad, actually. I just went there, mouthed the words, roasted marshmallows, and then went to the Aphrodite cabin. The girl handed me my clothes back, and went back to putting on moisturizer. From there I went back to my cabin and took a shower, then put on my pajama shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Percy came in and turned off the lights, mumbling an 'ow', as I heard a 'boom'.

"Night, Percy." I fell asleep snickering.

**A/N: Alright, guys, review time! Even if you don't have an account here on fanfiction, you can still review! I know when you read my story and don't review, actually. It's called the traffic tab, people! Now review!**


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